Providing information, education, and training to build knowledge, develop skills, and change attitudes that will lead to increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion (IPSII) for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

The METO Settlement

Pamela Hoopes: Person Centered Planning

Pamela Hoopes: The whole idea of positive behavior interventions and supports really depends on an individualized assessment of what each person needs and that has to include what's called Person Centered Planning, which means the person themself has to be consulted and involved with discussing what does and doesn't work for them and be allowed to make choices about what does and doesn't work for them in terms of helping to function and benefit from whatever programming or simply living environment that they are in.

Family members also should be consulted and welcomed into this process. That was another problem with METO. Family members, not always, but frequently felt excluded from participating in working with the staff and working with their own family member who was residing there in terms of problem solving, discharge planning, and even simple things like visiting.

The GCDD is funded under the provisions of P.L. 106-402.The federal law also provides funding to theMinnesota Disability Law Center,the state Protection and Advocacy System,and to the Institute on Community Integration,the state University Center for Excellence.The Minnesota network of programs works to increase the IPSII of people with developmental disabilities and families into community life.